


summer's end

by ainoscenario



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:34:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25779778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainoscenario/pseuds/ainoscenario
Summary: you should've seen it coming
Relationships: Usui Masumi/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	summer's end

Letting out a groan, you slunk back into the chair in your bedroom whilst glaring at the horrible pieces of fabric in front of you. Choosing a bathing suit for a beach day should absolutely not be this hard, yet here you were ready to pack it up and call it quits.  
When Masumi had invited you to the Mankai Company’s beach day out, you almost launched your phone out the window from sheer excitement. He usually preferred to keep you to himself, so the chance to hang out with his fellow theater members was huge. You had met them a few times and they had welcomed you with open arms, saying things around the lines of it being “good that Masumi has someone else now,” whatever that meant. Come to think of it, you hadn’t met the director either. The entire company spoke so highly of her, so it was a wonder why Masumi had tried his best to make it so you two don’t meet.

“I like the one on the right.”

Shooting up from your chair, you looked at your boyfriend who had entered your room whilst you were marinating in your little thought bubble.”It makes your eyes look pretty.” How did he say stuff like that with a straight face?

Asking him to toss you your coverup, you walked into the bathroom to change and felt the nerves build up in your stomach. Surely Izumi was a wonderful person or else everyone wouldn’t be so fond of her. But… why did Masumi get so weird everytime she was mentioned? Every uttering of her name by someone caused his demeanor to change completely. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but he almost seemed stressed or worried. Was she treating him badly? You’d absolutely stick for him if necessary - he really was a sweet and caring boy despite that harsh exterior of his. Maybe Izumi just hadn’t gotten to know him yet, but you’d make sure she knows how amazing he can be.

Exiting the bathroom and reaching for his hand, Masumi gave you a soft smile. “You really do look beautiful.” Bumping his shoulder with yours, you gave a playful, “Not so bad yourself,” before giggling and getting ready to leave and meet up with the rest of the troupes.

This day was going to be nothing short of incredible!

At first, the beach was nothing short of the most fun day of your life. Upon joining the rest of Mankai, you first saw Banri and Juza duking it out over who got to smash the watermelon open only for Tsuzuru to get tired of their bickering and come over to rain hell on the poor fruit himself (where he got the upper body strength to do so you had absolutely no idea.) Omi was teaching Muku about the wonders of grilling while Azuma, Itaru and Hisoka were under a nearby umbrella - the first two not wanting to be in the sun and the latter not wanting to be awake at all. Kazunari was trying to drag Tenma and Sakuya into a beach day photoshoot, one being far more willing than the other, as Taichi fawned over Yuki’s cute yet simple bathing suit as they walked down the shoreline. The rest of the members were scattered about, smiles abound and laughter filling up the entire beach. The first hour or so between you and Masumi was spent splashing around the water, a few short and sweet kisses shared between the two of you at the expense of Banri’s teasing and Homare’s prose about young love or something of the sort.

Which lead you to right now - a sweet moment between you two cuddling on the same towel shattered by the reality of why exactly Izumi had been such a well kept secret from you.

For what it was worth, Izumi herself was an absolute gem. She clearly cared about every single person she worked with, Masumi included which cured your earlier worries, and took pride in the talents of the boys she so lovingly built up and helped hone their acting skills. It would be foolish of someone not to like her.

Something you realized Masumi went a little too far with.

“It’s so nice to meet you! I almost thought Masumi was lying about having a partner since I never got to meet you myself, I’m so glad you were able to come.” _Geez, that’s one hell of a grip._ “I could say the same for you,” you laughed, “It was almost like Masumi-,” you suddenly cut off upon turning and seeing Masumi’s face. It could be described as nothing but pure adoration.

For a moment, you thought he was just admiring the woman who’s helped him become a better actor and a better person. But a few seconds passed and it was evident that the look held so much more than that. He’d never even come close to showing you that type of love in his eyes, like he’d fight until his last breath if it meant you’d be happy. The smile slowly dropped from your face and your throat suddenly felt tight. This was why, you decided in that moment, this was why he had kept you from Izumi from so long. Not because he hated her, but because he loved her. He loved her so much to the point where you could only assume he didn’t even love you a fraction of the amount he loved her.

Your hand dropped out of his and he didn’t even notice, instead asking Izumi about how her day was, where she got her suit, if she liked his. She went to answer his unending list of questions, but caught sight of the heartbroken look you sported and you watched as guilt overtook her face. She knew, she absolutely knew how he felt for her and she couldn’t do anything about it. “Um, Masumi… do you mind giving me and your partner here a moment to talk?” You could see his metaphorical tail wagging, “Anything for you, director.” He turned back to you to give you a kiss on the cheek, and his lips felt like molten lava against your skin.

Watching as he walked over towards Omi to grab a snack, Izumi took your hand in hers. “I’m so sorry. I-” she tried to figure out the words for a moment, “I really thought he was over this. When he had told us about you it was so refreshing to see him placing his love into someone who could actually reciprocate it.” You didn’t realize you were crying until she wiped away your tears. “You deserve better than this, it’s my fault for forcing him to let me meet you-” “It’s not.” Your voice didn’t even sound like your own at this point. “It’s not your fault he loves you. I should’ve realized something was up when he kept us separated for so long.”

You reached up to wipe your tears on your own this time as she pulled you into a hug. God, of course Masumi loved her, you could tell how kind she was just from the interaction. She got close to your ear just in case anyone was listening, “If you want to leave I understand.” It didn’t seem like a terrible idea, rather it was probably the best thing you could do right now. The embarrassment you’d have to face having a full on breakdown in front of everyone would only amplify your already fragile state. “I probably will do that… thank you Tachibana-san, and please don’t blame yourself for this.” She separated from you and gave you a quick glance before walking over towards Tsumugi and Sakyo as you went to gather your things and make your way back home. You would deal with talking to Masumi about this tomorrow, right now would be way too much for you to handle- “___!” _I was so close too._  
You turned around to see him jogging towards you, confusion littered on his face. “Are you leaving already? The sun isn’t even setting yet.” _Be subtle, tactile, there’s no reason to start anything here… actually, fuck it._ “Why didn’t you tell me you were in love with Izumi?” Upon hearing this, he was completely speechless. He tried to get over her so badly, he wanted nothing more than to make this work between the two of you but something about his director just kept him coming back, even when he didn’t want to. “… I didn’t think you’d notice.”

A dry, humorless laugh left your body, “You were practically falling over her feet, I’d have to be an idiot not to notice.” There was a short moment of silence between you, with Masumi knowing he was guilty and you debating on letting your next set of words out - but your mouth started moving before your brain could tell it to stop. “I think we should stop seeing each other.”

Masumi was never the most emotional or expressive person, but you could see how much that statement stabbed him in the heart. He wanted to tell you no, that you could make it work, but he knew deep down he had no right to ask something of you. Who knew how long it’d be before he was able to properly rid his feelings for Izumi? He tried his hardest not to let his tears fall, while you gave up on doing the same long ago. A soft and broken, “Okay,” came from him and you could tell he had pages and pages of words he wanted to speak to you to try and convince you otherwise but you knew a lost cause when you saw it.

The two of you made eye contact and you let him know you hoped he’d be able to find someone else, he’d be able to fix himself and stop letting his unrequited love run every part of his life. As you turned to walk back home, your heart now nothing more than a heavy weight in your chest, he called out one last attempt to get his feelings across. “I love you, ___.”

You stopped and stood there, knowing that if you turned around you’d run back to him. You deserved better than that.

**Author's Note:**

> cross-posted from my [tumblr](https://seasidefallenangel.tumblr.com/)  
> song inspo: [natsu no owari no amaoto ga - takami chika and matsuura kanan](https://soundcloud.com/user-446711912/natsu-no-owari-no-amaoto-ga)


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